Piano construction



Nov. 25, 1930. L. B. WING 1.782,453

' PIANO CONSTRUCTION Filed July 9, 1927 o or' o o Snuemtor,

Patented Nov. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES LUMAN IB. WING, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK PIANO CONSTRUCTION Y.

Application filed July 9,

My invention relates to certain improvements in pianos which have theirstrings under the usual high tension, and more particularly toimprovements in the structure Yand support of the piano plate mounted inoperative relation with the sound-board.

Heretofore it hasbeen customary to brace the opposite portions of themetal plate from which the piano strings are drawn under high tension intuning the piano for use, by means of cross-bars which are superposedabove the plate and sound-board thereby causing spaced-apart gaps in thebridges on which the piano strings bear. Such cross-bars are required tomaintain the rigid structure of the piano plate under the enormoustension imparted to the piano strings but the breaks in the bridgesoccasion uneven tones derived from the strings adjacent the bridge gapsand supports due to the varying stresses and other causes so that itbecomes increasingly difficult to keep the piano as a whole in propertone.

The aim of my invention is, among other things, to provide an improvedpiano plate and sound-board assembly in which the bridges shall becontinuous and unint-errupted by the gaps heretofore required for thebrace bars, and this improvement is accomplished by placing suchcross-bars and supports subj acent to the sound-board where such barsmay hold the opposite portions of the piano plate in uniformly rigidrelation.

Further improved features and advantages' of my invention will beapparent from the following detailed description thereof, and apreferred embodiment is illustrated in the drawings in which- Y i Fig. 1is a top plan view of my improved piano plate structure. Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of a modified form.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, the piano plate 4 of suitable metal has theupper portion 5 and lower portion 6 providing the open space 7therebetween, the outer ends being consimilar parts `1927. serial No.204,500.

nected by the support 8. Preferably such parts are integrally formed ofcast metal. Such piano plate 4 is also provided with holes 9 along itsouter margin through which pass screw bolts (not shown) to secure theplate 4 to the frame of the piano.

The sound-board 10 of the usual construction is disposed beneath, and inparallelism with, the piano plate 4 as shown in Fig. 2. Such sound-board10 also has the openings 11 and 12 through which project downwardly thescrew-threaded sockets 13 and 14 respectively of the piano plate 4. Thebrace bar 15 of Figs. 1 and 2 lies beneath the soundboard 10 and isrigidly secured to the piano plate 4 by the threaded screw-bolts 16 and17 passing through washers 18 and 19 and then rigidly fastened in thethreaded sockets 13 and 14 respectively.

T he piano strings 2O are stretched taut between the pins 21 and tuningpins 22 affixed in the usual wrest-plank (not shown); the strings 2Opass over the bridge 23 affixed to the sound-board 10 with the strings2O equal- Vly spaced-apart throughout the length of the bridge, and thetwo upper mute bars 24 beneath the pressure bar 25 the upper portion 5of the piano plate 4 bearing on the soundboard 10 through the projection26, all as shown in Fig. 2.

ln the Fig. consti-tuition lY have shown the forni of piano platestructure having the bass strings cross the treble strings with theX-shaped brace bars 2T bolted at 28 and 29 to the upper portion 5 and at30 and 3l to the lower portion 6, while beneath the treble strings theshort bar 32 is bolted at 33 and 34 to the opposite portions of thepiano plate 4 to maintain the rigid construction for the twoopposite-portions of the piano plate 4, yetthe bridge 35 for the .bassVstrings and bridge 36 for the treble strings have no disadvantageousgaps or breaks on account of the sup bars 27, 28 and 32, since. suchbrace bars lie beneath the sound-board 10 although these bars afford thene sary bracing for the piano plate 4 as hereinbefore explained inconnection with the Vstruc 1 and 2.V

f. f. Se

ture shown in Figs. e,

rloo

erposed arrangement of the brace ial paiellelisin Various changes may bemade in the consurucions shown without departing from the principle andscope of the Claimed invention7 the foregoing showing certain preferredenrbodirnents of my invention.

claim as my invention l. ln a. pieno having stringe-7n piano plete andsubjacent sound-boei'd constrncion, and ineens for bracing the pleteentirely beneath the sound board exeept et Jdie inaigins of Jhe platebeyond seid sin-ings. f

2. in a piano having siings, e, pieno pinte and subjacent sound-boardconsructi'on, and :i cross-bar i'or bracing the plato entirely be- Heaththe sound board except nt the' nimh' of 'the plete beyond seid i 3. ine. pieno having, n i and subjeeen; soini i`lboeid Construction, :2nd aplnrziliy of cross-barsif'or bracing the plaie .entireiy beneath thesound boeid except ab VJche margins ef the plete beyond seidrsirings.

1i. in a pieno, e.v piano pletefend subjacent sound-board constucioncomprising a bridge inonnied on therj'p surface oihe sonnd-boeid andcquaily snaced-apeit piano strings extending oven the length of the Ybridge, and ineens for Ybri'cing iheplee entirely beneath thesound-board ez-icept et ehe margins of the plaie beyond said strings.

l5. In a. pieno, e piano plaie and subjecent sound-board consiuctioncomprising a bridge inoun'ed on the top surface of lehe sound-board endequally spaced-apart piano stringsV extending over the length of thebridge, anda cross-bai airenged in substan- Witii said strings fonbracing die plate entirely beneehrhle' sound-board except at the marginsof thepiate beyond said uniierin strings and Wilhout brenkingthespe-einge of said piano srings.

` LUAN B MEMS lllS ,n piano Hete i

